5 Cholesterol Lowering Foods

Author: Karen Lennox Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: September 23, 2023

In this article, learn more about 5 Cholesterol Lowering Foods. What is the reason for their action?.

1. Legumes

Legumes are an excellent source of fiber , which binds bile salts, which in turn are excreted along with fiber as feces. Bile salts, in turn, are synthesized in the liver by cholesterol . Bile salts can be reabsorbed in the gut, leading to a kind of "recycling". However, when they are eliminated from the body, cholesterol is removed from the blood to synthesize new amounts of bile salts. In this way, fiber contributes to lowering plasma cholesterol levels. However, this is not the only way legumes contribute to the fight against hypercholesterolemia.. Legumes contain flavonoids, saponins and other pharmacologically active substances that have been shown to lower 'bad' cholesterol in the blood.

2. Whole grains

They contain a special type of fiber called glucans , which forms a thick gel in the stomach and intestines that traps cholesterol from food and bile acids, preventing them from being absorbed. Oats, barley and brown rice have the strongest and best studied and documented cholesterol-lowering effect.

3. Nuts

Although all types of nuts have significant cholesterol-lowering properties, walnuts deserve the most attention . They are one of the few good plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for maintaining normal plasma lipids. Omega 3 acids are thought to prevent the development of atherosclerosis and its complications. Moreover, Harvard scientists have shown that even a short-term increase in walnut consumption lowers levels of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Pistachios are rich in selenium, which has antioxidant properties and prevents the oxidation of cholesterol in the blood. Little is known that it is not just cholesterol but oxidized cholesterol that triggers the development of atherosclerosis.

4. Garlic

Studies have shown that garlic stops the formation of atherosclerotic plaques at the earliest stage by preventing the "carrying" of cholesterol-carrying particles to the arterial walls. Garlic is also known to have hypotensive and anticoagulant effects , as well as antibacterial action.

5. Turmeric

One of the main pharmacologically active components in turmeric - curcumin , prevents the adhesion of cholesterol transporting particles between them. Curcumin also prevents the oxidation of cholesterol .

5 Cholesterol Lowering Foods

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